Speak up dammit

Do you think it is possible to be premenstrual and mid-miscarriage at the same time? Because in spite of the fat lady still singing EIGHTEEN farking days later*, I am displaying distinct PMS signs. Eating like a horse, grumpy, irritable…. Rather annoying.

Speaking of annoying, may I take a second to have a little moan? No? TOUGH LUCK, THIS IS MY BLOG AND IF YOU DON’T LIKE IT YOU CAN JUST BUGGER OFF AND OMG, WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT? YOU HATE ME, RIGHT?

As I was saying, I want to have a little moan. You know what really, really irritates me? When people mumble. It drives me farking crazy. I think it is a terribly selfish thing to do. It’s the toddler equivalent of hanging on your leg, tugging at your pants mid conversation so that you are forced to stop what you are doing THIS VERY MINUTE and give your undivided attention. At least, that is what it feels like to me.

Person X (no names mentioned) does this. Drives me up the wall. I am always busy, always on the go and when Person X wants to tell me something he/she will mumble something that is impossible to hear the first time so that I am forced to stop what I am doing, turn around, face that person and say ‘pardon?’ and then have the person repeat it at an audible level. I’ve tried ignoring the person, but he/she knows that I’ve heard them say something and is waiting for me to stop what I am doing and ask them to repeat what they have just said. 

DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!! 

Does it irritate you as much? Or is it just me? It’s probably just me. I’m getting odder and odder as I get older. I shudder to think what I am going to be like when I am an old fart. I think small children will run and hide when the see me coming. “Quick! Hide away! Here comes the Evil Witch!”

Ok, got to go eat another date ball so that I can be fat AND farty. If I keep this up for much longer, I am going to look like a fucking date ball. 

* I know, I know. I must go have it checked out, but I’ve been so busy. I did manage to go for a beta late on Friday and I should get the results on Monday. Hoping like hell I don’t have to go in for a D&C. Keep your bits crossed.  It takes me almost as long to me to finish miscarrying as it takes me to get pregnant. Which is a very long time indeed.

PS If you live in the UK, please pop over to Sister Mel's blog, she has a favour to ask you. Ta.

Comments

[Pat]

Have you considered mumbling back with a just distinguishable but utterly irrelevant reply?

[Orange]

Yes, what Pat said. Do that, or just ignore an unintelligible mumble. If the ignoring is met with umbrage, just say "Oh, were you talking to me? I assumed you were mumbling to yourself."

[Jen]

I bled for forty-nine days after my miscarriage and my doctor told me that was totally normal. It did suck though.

[tess]

could the mumbler be using this as a device to get your "complete and utter attention" ? some teachers speak in a barely audible voice. every child strains to listen because they teacher raises her voice.

mumbles could not be a big believer in multitasking and could be operating along the same lines. getting you to STOP working, and concentrate 100 per cent on what is coming out of the mouth. of course, mumbles doesn't realise that you are distracted with the different swear words you are composing and seeing if you can squeak out a toot just to make her/him a little bit miserable too, and therefore not really concentrating at all.

[kerry]

Your post reminds me of another joy... The mid-sentence brain freeze. This is when somebody stops what they are saying without warning and DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE.
Loving it.Not.

[Dana]

If I am correct, you took 2 vacations in about a month?? You cannot complain about Anything until at least 2009... :-)

xxx

[Dana]

If I am correct, you took 2 vacations in about a month?? You cannot complain about Anything until at least 2009... :-)

xxx

[Lindsay]

Tertia, any chance you could actually be pregnant and hormonal?

[Alison]

Omigod. My PRESCHOOLER has taken to mumbling. I swear. The kid is a goddamn evil genius. He is working me like a fool...

[Hanlie]

My domestic does that with my husband (I think she's slightly afraid of him) and it drives him mad. The more he tells her to speak up, the softer she speaks!

[Woody's Girl]

It sounds like a control thing.

Depending on who is the Mumbler, your response can vary greatly.

* Fake Turrett's and shout back irrelevant obscenities (hey, it might scare them into SPEAKING UP next time).

* Squeeze the end of their nose, twist their ears, bop them on top of the head, all while looking very puzzled. When they ask what the FARK you are doing, just explain you are TRYING to find the volume button.

* Get very close to their ear and shout "WHAT?!"

* Ask them to do something random for you (like, if they are following you around mumbling, say "Can you go mail this envelope for me?").

* Or... if it's somebody you care for deeply, and you don't want to be smart-alec, grab them by the shoulders the next time they do it and explain that you NEED THEM TO SPEAK UP.

Hope you get the situation resolved. How ANNOYING!

[kristylynne]

I am married to a mumbler, and god forbid I should point out that he mumbles. If I do, he gets very angry and mumbles that no, he doesn't. Drives me insane.

I think my constant pestering for him to speak up already is making a difference, though.

[Dani]

"Squeeze the end of their nose, twist their ears, bop them on top of the head, all while looking very puzzled. When they ask what the FARK you are doing, just explain you are TRYING to find the volume button."

LMFAO!

[Riki]

My teenagers mumbles from another room - yes, I kid you not and waits until I have the TV on, the dishwasher going full ball and then she wonders why I can't hear a thing and apparently I'm getting old - NO, don't think so, come and talk to me in the same room !!

[Rachel]

OMG, mumbling drives me CRAZY! It is passive aggressive to the max! I just ignore it. If someone has something that they want to say to me they need to have the balls to say it where I can hear it! LOL

[SCY]

*mumble, mumble* What was that? I HATE it when people mumble - I think it is the rudest thing ever! Almost as rude as hanging up the phone without saying "Wrong number." AARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

[kirstyphysio]

Are you sure they're mumbling? Remember how you couldn't hear the beeps at Adam's hearing test? Maybe, they aren't mumbling - it's just that you can't hear them!! Just a thought.... you are ancient you know!! LOL xx
OMG - date balls! I cannot wait to eat those again! But they do make you fart!(Have never seen them any where but SA! A boere recipe, I think.)Only 3 weeks and 6 days until I am back living in the rainbow nation! Can't wait!!

[Tamsen]

My sister is a mumbler. Drives me CRAZY. Especially since we are 1000+ miles away, so I have to talk to her on speaker phone, and still I don't understand everything she says. I either guess or go 'uh-huh'. Finally I told her on the phone she seriously needs to speak up. She laughed and confessed she gets called a mumbler all the time, especially at her job. Telling her hasn't made an improvement...

[giddy]

I hate mumbling, but I am also a mumbler, so I am sympathetic to both sides. To the commenter who said that it is passive-aggressive, I don't see that at all. Most mumblers just aren't thinking when they start talking. People don't like to repeat themselves any more than you like to ASK someone to repeat themselves. I always feel bad when I've mumbled and forced someone to have to ask me to speak up. I always swear to use better diction next time, and still I often forget......

I DO think, though, that there is an attentional aspect on the part of PERCEIVING mumbling. I know that my daughter often speaks to me quite clearly but if I'm attending to something else I absolutely don't hear the content of her words and have to ask her to repeat. So combine inattention with even the slightest bit of a mumble and I might perceive it as mumbling.....I am always telling my daughter she needs to be sure I have her attention before she asks me something. (Now if only I could follow my own advice when I talk to my OWN mother.....)

[spoiledonlychild]

My husband is a mumbler, and it drives me nuts. He mumbles most when he's in a bad mood. It almost seems like a control thing to me. It forces you to ask for a repeat, which he knows is going to annoy me. But I also don't think it's something that can be changed. Once a mumbler always a mumbler. All we can control is our reaction to it.

[Cakes]

If they don't care enough about what they are saying to speak clearly, than I don't see why anyone else should care what they are saying. But, I have no patience for stuff like that.

Yes, get yourself checked out. It sucks. plain and simple. sucks.

[vanessa]

I would kill for that date ball recipe.......